The Bearberry is a more common plant, and more elegant in its foliage,
with less conspicuous flowers, than the ground laurel. This plant covers
extensive tracts on the borders of woods and partially under their
protection. The foliage, resembling that of the box, has always been
admired, and nothing makes a neater or more beautiful covering of the
turfs which it adorns. The Bearberry is a native of both continents. It
abounds in light sandy soils, forming a frequent undergrowth of a
pitch-pine wood. The berries are eaten by quails and robins in winter,
when they can seldom find any animal food except a few dormant insects.